Blackstone Valley Community Health Care Data Breach Settlement

Individuals who received a notice that their personal information may have been exposed in the November 2023 Blackstone Valley Community Health Care data breach, may be eligible to claim up to $2,500, plus credit monitoring, from a class action settlement. The cybersecurity incident impacted an estimated 34,000 current and former patients.

BVCHC has agreed to pay to settle a class action lawsuit alleging that a cyberattack in November 2023 led to unauthorized access of files containing sensitive personal information, including names and Social Security numbers belonging to current and former patients.

Who can file a claim for a data breach payout?

Class members are individuals whose personally identifiable information (PII) was potentially compromised in the November 2023 cyberattack, and received an individual notification letter from BVCHC regarding the breach.

How much will settlement payments be?

Class members have the following benefit options:

• Credit monitoring: All class members can elect to receive three years of CyEx Identity Defense Total credit monitoring, which includes $1 million in identity theft insurance, real-time credit file monitoring, dark web scanning, and public records monitoring.
• Documented ordinary expenses: Class members can claim up to up to $250 in documented out-of-pocket losses incurred as a result of the data breach between Nov. 11, 2023, and June 1, 2026. Eligible expenses includes fees for credit reports, credit monitoring, freezing or unfreezing credit, replacing IDs, and postage for contacting financial institutions.
• Documented extraordinary expenses: Class members can claim up to $2,500 in unreimbursed losses due to identity theft or fraud resulting from the data breach, provided the loss is not already covered by other compensation and the claimant attempted to recover the funds through other means, such as insurance.
• Lost time: Class members can claim up to four hours at $20 per hour, a maximum of $80, for time spent dealing with the data breach, such as changing passwords, investigating suspicious activity, or researching the breach.

How to claim a class action rebate

To receive a settlement payment, class members can file a claim online or print a PDF claim form to complete and mail or email to the settlement administrator.

Settlement administrator's mailing address: BVCHC Data Incident Settlement c/o Settlement Administrator, PO Box 25226, Santa Ana, CA 92799-9958

Settlement administrator's email address: info@BlackstoneValleySettlement.com

The claim deadline is June 1, 2026.

Required claim information and proof

• Login ID and PIN from settlement notice required to submit a claim online.
• Ordinary expenses claims require supporting documentation, which may include receipts, invoices for credit monitoring and other expenses.
• Extraordinary expenses claims require supporting documentation, which may include invoices for services, bank or credit card statements showing unreimbursed fees or fraudulent charges, police report and other proof of fraud or identity theft.
• Lost time claims require a description of time spent.

Payout options

• PayPal
• Venmo
• Zelle
• Virtual prepaid card
• Paper check mailed to the address provided

$525,000 settlement fund breakdown

The $525,000 settlement fund will include:

• Settlement administration costs: To be determined
• Attorneys' fees and costs: $175,000
• Service award to class representative: $2,500
• Credit monitoring: Cost determined by number of claims filed
• Payments to approved claimants: Remaining settlement funds

Important dates

• Deadline to file a claim: June 1, 2026
• Deadline to opt out: June 1, 2026
• Final approval hearing: June 23, 2026

When is the BVCHC data breach settlement payout date?

Payments and credit monitoring information will be issued to approved claimants approximately 60 days after the court grants final approval of the settlement.

Why was there a class action settlement?

This settlement resolves claims that Blackstone Valley Community Health Care failed to adequately protect personal information, resulting in a November 2023 cyberattack that exposed sensitive data. The class action lawsuit alleged that files containing names and Social Security numbers were accessed.

BVCHC denies the allegations but agreed to settle to avoid the expense and risk of continued litigation.

Sources

1. Class notice
2. Settlement website FAQ page
3. Claim form